II Thessalonians 2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

When I went to Indiana University I quickly discovered that there were students there that were new to IU. I had grown up an Indiana fan and I was familiar with a lot of what IU was all about. I was familiar with the song. I knew our colors were cream and crimson. Our basketball players wear candy stripe warm up pants. I knew what a Hoosier was. But some had to be taught these things. They would not have gotten far if they’d come in suggesting we pick a new song, change our colors, and come up with a new team name! They had to learn the traditions.

Paul was writing to a group of people who had not grown up in the church. That wasn’t possible! They were new to the church. But they were taught the traditions. They were taught these traditions in person by Paul and other missionaries and by reading his letters. He felt it important to encourage them to remember the traditions. To stand fast and hold them. (The Holy Spirit Who inspired Paul thought it important as well.)

Occasionally someone feels the need to make changes to the church. (I’m not talking about the carpet or the paint!) They think the message needs to be amended to be more relevant. Or that we need to deemphasize or even eliminate certain Scriptural passages to be less offensive. The world has changed, so why shouldn’t the church?

I don’t have the space to give the reasons why a suggestion that IU change its colors to black and gold or orange and blue would be met with derision! Or that, maybe instead of “Indiana, Our Indiana” we should sing a different song would be completely dismissed. There have been updates, but they have been subtle, always maintaining the essence of what they were. Some changes would be so drastic as to change the very nature of what IU is.

We are to hold fast to the traditions that Paul is speaking of, not out of an unwillingness to change with the times, but out of a desire to retain the nature of what the church has always been. Sure, some things change, but not the Scriptural essentials. The church is God’s idea. But you don’t have to be born into the church to understand and hold fast to the traditions. You can come at any age and learn them!

Blessings,

Pastor Russ